Metabolic Adaptation: What Does the Science Actually Say? 

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What happens to your metabolism when you lose weight?
Metabolic adaptation (otherwise known as adaptive thermogenesis) is one of the most confusing concepts in the fitness industry.
There are possibly many reasons for this, one is because the science around metabolic adaptation is confusing and many people read one research paper and then think they know the whole topic. Alternatively, some people probably deliberately confuse you by cherry picking the research they present.
For example, lots of people discuss the research papers that show the largest degree of metabolic adaptation, but never even acknowledge the research papers that show none. Why is this? Isn't it intellectually honest to present all of the research together, objectively?
Here are my goals for this video:
- Explain what metabolic adaptation is
- Discuss the studies that show the largest degree of metabolic adaptation
- Discuss alternative studies that show the opposite results
- Explain why some papers show extreme metabolic adaptation and others don't
- Bulletproof you into knowing the research well enough that you can call shenanigans on anyone who is being misleading, by discussing metabolic adaptation from a one-sided perspective.
Enjoy!
References:
- Physiology, Metabolism
- Adaptive thermogenesis in humans
- Metabolic adaptations to weight loss
- Adaptive thermogenesis with weight loss in humans
- Role Of Adaptive Thermogenesis In Unsuccessful Weight-Loss Intervention
- Metabolic adaptation to caloric restriction and subsequent refeeding: the Minnesota Starvation Experiment revisited
- Physiology of weight regain: Lessons from the classic Minnesota Starvation Experiment on human body composition regulation
- Metabolic Slowing with Massive Weight Loss despite Preservation of Fat-Free Mass
- Persistent metabolic adaptation 6 years after The Biggest Loser competition
- Long-term persistence of adaptive thermogenesis in subjects who have maintained a reduced body weight
- No consistent evidence of a disproportionately low resting energy expenditure in long-term successful weight-loss maintainers
- Metabolic adaptation is not a major barrier to weight-loss maintenance
- Metabolic adaptation is an illusion, only present when participants are in negative energy balance
- Physiological responses to slimming
- The complicated relation between resting energy expenditure and maintenance of lost weight